VELVETEEN BLUE
 Shlock-Pop Slap-Sappy Retro Lounge Lizard Trio
[2003 ~ 2005]
BANDCAMP

"... channeling Bryan Ferry with Spike Jones as music director ..."
Bob Strauch

"... The King, on bad acid..."
Larynx Eon Zillion

LAURENCE MILLER a.k.a. Yours Truly
Lead Vocals
(and backing tracks; sequenced digital drums, bass, keyboard, electric guitar, Bb clarinet, percussion, etc)

BRIAN DELANEY a.k.a. B Deluxe
Vintage Electric Guitar

ERIC BERNREUTER a.k.a. Sliced Holmes
Home-blown Slide Trombone

    YOURS TRULY                B-DELUXE                                         SLICED HOLMES
                          
VELVETEEN BLUE "Live" at the prestigious FIRE FLY JAZZ CLUB
Ann Arbor Michigan July 20th 2003

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Their Library of CD Releases 1996 thru 2022

YOURS TRULY & THE HUMANIQUINNS
'Live' in the Display Room
October 21st 2000

BRIEF HISTORY

This page covers the whole comic lounge phenomena which Laurence traveled on and off for over 12 years. VELVETEEN BLUE,
the final stop, formed in 2003 as an odd mix of "over the top romantic sentiment" mixed with "bastardized existential comedy".
This was his answer to the now defunct retro lounge resurgence of the 1990's. As a trio, VELVETEEN BLUE performed
against original backing tracks, coming off as a surreal, shlock-pop jazz sextet. It's precursor, MEZZANINE, started
it all back when the retro lounge style was so popular in the mid 90's. Their claim to fame was opening
for LARYNX ZILLION'S NOVELTY SHOP, in 1994, at Ann Arbor's Blind Pig. Who would have thunk?
That said, lead singer 'Yours Truly' did have a short stint with a bunch of HuManniquins,
standing around on the job performing 'live' on football Saturdays. This was always in
the front street display room of Ann Arbor's vintage resale shop, Sarah's Attic.
Good times for all passersby like you can't believe.

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VELVETEEN BLUE  went into the studio {after breaking into the prestigious Fire Fly Club} to record a quality demo for gigging purposes. Sadly, without seeing this bloom into full fruition, the band faded into an existential comedy duo having lost their trombonist. This version was not unlike what Laurence and his twin brother Benjamin tried in the late 90's.

It all started back in 1993, while Laurence was cutting the back-40. Moronic Elvis interpretations would come to mind with absolute screw ball demos ensuing shortly, thereafter.  Songs like "Knock First, My Love",  "Gentleman of Honor", and
"Can't Crap For Nothin'".  By 1994 he'd written a few half-serious numbers as well, and quickly formed an actual group. Interestingly, these guys were the members from his more active band LARYNX ZILLION'S NOVELTY SHOP.

Laurence called his new mock lounge act, MEZZANINE". MEZZANINE recorded a few original numbers in the studio,
opened for LARYNX ZILLION'S NOVELTY SHOP {tee-hee-tee-hee} at Ann Arbor's Blind Pig, sporting their haunted
version of David Lynch's MYSTERY OF LOVE from the film BLUE VELVET.

The band then began gigging at Ann Arbor's Gypsy Café 1995 thru 1996 but with mixed results.
Very few seemed to understand it wasn't as serious as it looked like it was. So, just as LARYNX
ZILLION'S NOVELTY SHOP folded as a misunderstood entity in 1997, so did MEZZANINE." 

Laurence then gathered professional experience under his belt crooning lead for David Swain's II-V-I Jazz Orchestra.
Performing at Ann Arbor's Heidelberg Club, Detroit's Clutch Cargo's, various weddings and special events began to
 spur his interest on. He tried resurrecting MEZZANINE again, this time as a duo with twin brother Benjamin Miller
calling themselves THE SUICIDE DOORS. They fancied the idea of taking the comedy route seriously. Home
videos were shot and song lists grew but sadly their take on it all would have been too whacked for
the public at large. Though Laurence and Ben considered cleaning up their act and going pro,
it was clearly an impossible feat.  They were that good.

    By 1999 things came to a head. Laurence ended up solo in the display window of an antique resale shop
singing along to the original tracks, along with The HuManiqunns - 'live' manikins standing around on the job.
This gig occurred both fall 1999 and 2000 during football Saturdays for the unsuspecting sidewalk passerbys,
gawking in utter amazement. Nightmarishly surreal with no cover charge. Not bad for Ann Arbor.

VELVETEEN BLUE
This retro lizard concept was resurrected one last time in 2003.
"The scary thing is that I took it seriously this time." says Miller.

Hiring local guitarist Brian Delaney (B Deluxe)  from THE ROYALLE GARDEN TRIO and digging up Erik Bernreuter (Sliced Holmes), the original trombonist for LARYNX ZILLION'S NOVELTY SHOP, Miller set to put together something viable

now. His idea was to perform along to various backing tracks (both old and new) as a surreal shlock pop jazz trio.

Amazingly enough, VELVETEEN BLUE managed to land a gig at the prestigious jazz club THE FIRE FLY, get
hired for birthday parties, book themselves in at Dreamland Theatre, and shoot a community television
music video collection, "Shoot The Piano Man". This video production won the Finalist
Award at 2004 Philo T. Farnsworth Festival.

VELVETEEN BLUE performing "Live" at DREAMLAND THEATRE New Year's Eve 2003

                         YOURS TRULY                B DELUXE                                           SLICED HOLMES

Brian Delaney (a.k.a. B-Deluxe) and Laurence Miller (a.k.a. Yours Truly) continued on a couple more shows
at Ypsilanti's Dreamland Theatre.  Yup. Mind numbing performance-art.

        Example 1:  Before taking the stage, there would be a three minute recording of people coughing and coughing, playing
in the background. Miller would then scramble on stage, seemingly agitated getting ready to start the show alone
when B. Deluxe suddenly steps in to the club as if late for the show.  Miller would go off on him
while the crowd, thinking he was serious, sat utterly horrified... 

        Example 2: In the spatial mid section to their original arrangement of Twilight Time by The Platters, B. Deluxe
would suddenly sit down on a stool and pretend to roast weenies over a fire pit, while Miller played a suspended,
surreal dreamscape on the keyboard, occasionally looking over at B. Deluxe and screaming at him.  Who would have thunk?

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TIME MACHINE BACK STORY

MEZZANINE

That lonely half-floor in between
(1993 ~ 1996)

QUARTET
LAURENCE MILLER
a.k.a. Yours Truly: Vocals
CHRIS CASELLO
a.k.a. Buzz Amerika: Electric Guitar
CHRIS SMITH
a.k.a. Hubba Chubba Bubba: Trombone and Slide Cornet
DAVID SWAIN
a.k.a. Chip Reed: Bass

 NOTE: This band was essentially  THE NOVELTY SHOP, charading as a 50's throwback lounge lizard act
{ ... sometimes MEZZANINE performed with DAVID KLINGENBERGER a.k.a. Buzzie on drums ... }

MEZZANINE "live" at The Gypsy Cafe
Ann Arbor Summer 1996

"I'd do my best, barking in the dancer's favor, and then proceed to attract a good crowd for them,
singing acapella like the bullheaded buffoon I was..."

NOTE: His big tear jerking crowd pleasers in this MC solo role were his original numbers;
KISS ME, PLEASE KISS ME {Please, kiss me, please?} and BY INVITATION ONLY

THE SUICIDE DOORS

A comic act, never intended for the masses
(1997 ~ 1999)

LAURENCE MILLER
(a.k.a. Yours Truly)
Vocals, keyboard, and etc

BENJAMIN MILLER
(a.k.a. Mr. Sincerely or "Mr. Mirror", or "Pedro Rodriguez")
Guitar, C Tenor Saxophone, and harmony something or other

Though this duo began as "pure comic chaos" in the finest sense, The Suicide Doors did eventually move into a more forward leaning
professional disposition. Too bad this trend didn't do us any good. We shut our fingers in the door on it ASAP.

PROMO PIC
August 1998
 
Photographer Dale Walsh

 YOURS TRULY and The HuManiquinns
Standing around on the job
(1999 ~ 2000)